I was given a formula
Posted by: trvlrerik
on Jan-10-13 7:08 PM (EST)
by a friend that has worked for me in personal expenience ( after controlled exposure experiments)
Water temp + air temp over 120 deg= regular clothing for comfort.
100 to 120 = 3mm wet suit wool hat
80 to 100 = 7mm wet suit/dry suit wool hat
under 80 = dry suit with protective head gear
This formula is in no way scientific or proven to be safe, hypothermia is deceptive and dangerous. Every person reacts differently to cold water.
Always practice self rescue with your cold gear as it does effect mobility and floatation under a controlled situation before it becomes an emergency situation.